Standing by his concept that “great startups exist outside of the well-known Silicon Valley and New York areas”, Revolution CEO & AOL co-founder Steve Case announced, at the second annual Google for Entrepreneurs Demo Day, that he plans to invest $100,000 in each of the four female-founded startups that participated in the events’ pitch competition.
After serving as a judge along with Ann Winblad of Hummer Winblad Venture Partners and Blake Byers of Google Ventures, Case chose to invest in the four female-founded companies who competed amongst 12 startups to show recognition of the unique challenges faced by women in entrepreneurship.
“These are impressive companies with amazing potential and are exactly the types of companies that I am excited to invest in,” said Case. “It is great to find such companies being led by the four women who appeared on-stage at today’s competition. I am mindful of the diversity challenges that still face the startup world, and I am proud to support these women launching their startups.”
The four female-founded companies selected were:
*Mati Energy (Durham, NC) – The first good-for-you and tasty energy drink, derived wholly from fruit juices and plant leaves.
*InRentive (Chicago, IL) – InRentive’s platform fixes the data accuracy problem that plagues the apartment rental industry.
*Seamless Planet (Montreal, Quebec) – The global distribution and channel management system for independent travel companies, providing inventory and booking information in real-time.
*Loop & Tie (Austin, TX) – Helps companies send unique gifts and engage customers. No more gift baskets.
In addition to this announcement, Case has developed a track record of investing in promising startups from his previous announcement in 2014 at the inaugural Google for Entrepreneurs Demo Day when he invested $100,000 in each of ten participating companies. Dedicated to investing in early-stage companies, Case organizes Rise of the Rest bus tours traveling across the country to invest and grow startups in every region.
“All of the companies that participated today represent growing “˜Rise of the Rest’ regions,” Case went on to say. “And, not unlike last year, highlight the promise of entrepreneurial communicates in thriving ecosystems all over North America. It is very promising to see first-hand.”
